The Escape Attempt
The dungeon stank of dirty water and rusted metal. It was lonely down here with just a single torch that flickered outside my cell, its light barely reaching the corners, as shadows danced and stretched like claws along the walls.
My wrists burned from the silver cuffs. Every movement I made sent a dull throb up my arms. The blanket they had thrown at me was thin and smelled of fresh fish, as if it has been used to wrap fishes before. I had been here for hours, maybe days, I've even lost count of time or days I've been here, time just kept slipping through me like water.
Amidst all the torture, one thought kept me alive: I will not stay, no, I won't die here.
Not in Bloodfang territory.
Not in his fortress.
Not under his control.
The guards outside were careless, too sure of their Alpha's decree that no one would dare help me. I watched them all night, studying when they shifted, when they fetched water, even when they leaned in to whisper. I watched and studied their every move.
They didn't know I had lived my whole life slipping through shadows to escape hunts and patrols. I have escaped many traps, many huntsmen, my parents trained me so. They never wanted me to be addressed as "just The Omega Princess".
The cuffs were my first problem. I twisted my wrists, ignoring the sting. No give. My skin split, raw. Then my fingers brushed a hairpin tucked in the braid at my neck, a mercy the warriors had overlooked.
The pin scraped into the lock. My father always said I had clever hands. I had been picking stable doors before I turned twelve. A few twists, a click, and the first cuff loosened. My heart hammered in my ears. Another turn, and the second cuff fell to the floor with a muted clink.
I shoved them under the blanket, then turned to the cell door. The lock was heavier, but my hands remembered the rhythm like a song. One more click, and the door eased open with a creak that made my stomach knot.
I froze, listening. No steps. No voices.
Perfect.
The hallway stretched before me, lined with cells. Most were empty, though a few eyes glinted in the dark. Prisoners whispered my name as I passed, their voices thin as wind. I didn't stop. My bare feet moved silent across the stone.
The main stairwell loomed ahead, two guards at its base, spears resting in hand as they spoke softly.
I slipped into a side corridor. The air here was damp, the walls rough. A draft brushed my cheek, carrying pine and earth. An exit. I followed it to a narrow servant's door, swollen with moisture. I shoved until it gave way with a groan.
Cool night air rushed in, sharp and intoxicating after the dungeon's staleness.
The courtyard was quiet. Beyond the walls, the forest swayed under silver moonlight. Freedom shimmered there, close enough to taste.
I stayed low, darting from shadow to shadow until I reached the outer wall. It rose high, stones worn smooth by time. My fingers found the cracks, my muscles straining as I climbed.
Halfway up, the fortress sounds faded. Only the rustle of leaves and the cry of an owl remained. My fingers numbed, my breath quickened. I swung a leg over the top, and froze.
The hairs on my neck rose before his voice reached me.
"Going somewhere, little wolf?"
Kael's tone was smooth, but danger threaded every word.
I turned. He stood a few feet below, gripping the wall as though it were nothing. Moonlight lit the sharp lines of his face and the gold in his eyes.
"Move," I said, my voice steady.
He didn't. He climbed with effortless pulls, landing beside me, gaze locked on mine.
"You thought you'd make it?" His mouth curved, not in humor but in something darker. "My territory stretches for miles. You'd be dead before dawn."
"Better that than rotting in your dungeon."
His eyes flicked to my wrists, free of silver, then back to me. The bond thrummed between us, faint but unbreakable, like a tether tied to my soul. His scent rolled over me, smoke and cedar, wild and fierce. My wolf stirred, restless and conflicted.
Kael stepped closer, the wall too narrow to hold the heat of him. "You think you're clever," he said, voice low. "You're not the first to try this."
"I'm not your prisoner," I shot back, though the stone beneath me said otherwise.
He closed the distance, forcing me back until my shoulders pressed into cold rock. His body radiated heat, his eyes burning into mine.
"You're not leaving," he said, each word deliberate. "Not tonight. Not ever."
My fists clenched. "You don't own me."
His growl was raw. "Don't I?"
The bond surged hot through my veins. My pulse leapt in answer, and I hated the traitorous spark it lit in me. My wolf pressed forward, torn between fight and surrender.
Kael braced one hand beside my head, leaning close, his breath brushing my cheek. "Climb all the walls you want, Aria. I'll find you. Every time."
His other hand caught my wrist. Not rough, but firm, his pulse steady against mine.
"Let me go," I whispered.
"Never."
The word landed like iron.
Moonlight burned in his eyes as he pinned me there. Deep inside, my wolf stilled, as though it recognized something I could not.
Movement broke the moment.
A shout from below. "Alpha! The northern watch spotted movement in the forest!"
Kael didn't look away. His grip tightened once, then he pulled back. "You're coming with me."
Before I could fight, he dragged me down from the wall with ease, his hand gripping mine as he leapt to the courtyard.
The forest loomed just beyond, dark and alive, so close I could almost touch it, yet still impossibly far.